1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a camera of easy film loading type which is so arranged that when a film housed in a film cartridge is loaded into a film cartridge chamber of the camera in such state that a leader portion of the film remains outside the camera and then an openable closure of said film cartridge chamber is closed, the leader portion of the film is retracted into the camera and then the film is wound onto a winding spool.
2. Description of the Related Art:
A camera of the type which makes use of a film of belt shape housed in a film cartridge has such disadvantage that it is very troublesome to load the film into the camera. Heretofore, various proposals have been made to simplify the film loading operation of the camera.
Recently the applicant has proposed a camera of easy film loading type in which the film loading operation is considerably simplified, which is disclosed in our copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 26,267 filed on Mar. 16, 1987.
This camera of easy film loading type is so arranged that at the time of loading a film housed in a film cartridge into a film cartridge chamber of a camera it is only necessary to insert the film cartridge into the film cartridge chamber in such state that a leader portion of the film is remained outside the camera and then close an openable closure of said film cartridge chamber, and no other operation is required. In other words, when the user of the camera closes a closure of the film cartridge chamber in such state that the leader portion of the film is remained outside the camera, the leader portion exposed outside the camera is firstly retracted into the camera and then idle winding of the film onto a winding spool is effected, so that the loading of the film is automatically completed.
According to the camera having the above-mentioned performance which has been previously proposed by the applicant, the film loading operation is effected in considerably easy manner and, therefore, this camera can be very easily handled as compared with the conventional camera. This camera, however, has a problem to be solved.
The problem of the camera as mentioned above resides in the fact that no consideration is paid to an abnormal state of movement of the film which may occur for instance, when the film is caught by some part in the camera and becomes stopped during the retracting movement of the leader portion of the film into the camera or the idle winding movement as mentioned above or when the movement of the film is intentionally stopped by someone who gripps the film and stops the movement.
If such an abnormal state of movement of the film occurs, so that the retracting movement of the leader portion of the film or the idle winding movement of the film is stopped, a motor for driving the film still continues its rotation, with the result that an electric power is consumed in vain and an important trouble may occur in an electric system for a film feeding mechanism and/or the motor as mentioned above.